Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chase Dearring. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chase, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I’ve been an artist my whole life! The 1st drawing I can remember had to be when I was 4 years old, I drew all 4 Ninja Turtles. Since then I was always sketching. But, throughout the years it had become just a hobby where I’d occasionally draw t-shirt, logo, and tattoo designs for people/organizations and later getting into painting. It wasn’t until 2022, when my wife was pushing me to get back into my art, that I got back into painting. I recall a specific event where I was at Starters in Southfield and I ran into a childhood friend I knew since we were 6. He was introducing me to some people he had with him. Then he called me out, saying, “Hey, this my boy Chase! He a artist, but don’t want to be an artist”! Then he folded his arms and looked me dead in my face with a smirk on his. I felt like crap, knowing I had a calling and almost ignoring it. Within the same month, one of my friend’s mother told me about the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club, suggesting I start attending. I went for the 1st time on Halloween 2022. What a fresh and humbling experience! I soon made the commitment to myself to attend DFABC every week. I was strongly encouraged by Henry Harper, Harold Bragg (DFABC Co-Founders) and other members to get involved and learn as much as I could. Soon participated in my 1st Art Exhibition in February 2023 (McGee: Urban Synthesis”) at Design Studio 6 where both of my pieces sold! It was then that I could see, I’m meant to do this professionally. From there, I actively pursued Calls to Artists and now, here I am! An Official aRTist!
Chase, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I grew up in Southfield, MI and have always had a love for art. I’ve always considered myself to be an artist. Throughout my life I’ve primarily been a sketch artist, typically drawing anything from superheroes to scenery to doodles/abstract. But, over the years I’ve expanded into painting, digital art, mixed media, and other forms. Though I’ve been an artist all my life, my professional life has been spent as an engineer, as I earned my engineering degree from North Carolina A&T, making me a proud Aggie. I’m now making a stronger commitment to my art and I’m very proud to tap into my passion and create as I was meant to! I joined the Detroit Fine Art Breakfast Club in 2022, which has motivated me to dedicate more time to my passion! This has allowed me to become part of art shows, gain more exposure, and become a member of the art community! I’ve been networking, meeting many other artists, collectors, and curators, and revitalizing my love for art!
I am a self-taught artist and I have an illustrative style, but I do dabble in realism as I see fit. I believe myself to be like many other artists, but I do see my illustrations to be somewhat unique to myself. I love to pull from personal experiences and beliefs in my work. I enjoy conveying relatable emotions and experiences that viewers can see in themselves. I also love illustrating black history, and I’m getting more into the “Re-Rise” of Detroit. I’m most proud of the fact that I’m pursuing my dream and that I’ve finally been displaying my art in shows, auctions, and other events. I’m proud that I believe in myself more than I ever have! I’ve created a website: www.artbychasedearring.com that I continue to build on and promote myself on social media (IG: artbychasedearring, Facebook: ArtBy Chase Dearring, TikTok: artbychasedearring). I’ve sold a lot of pieces (in my opinion) and have developed a demand for my work, which is exciting as I try to balance creating with my work schedule and spending quality time with my beautiful wife. I’m, ultimately, just proud to be able to call myself an artist and that others do as well!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Early on, I wasn’t really sure how to price my work, I did like a lot of people when they don’t know something…I went to Google! There was some sort of formula advised to be used based on size, material cost, and a multiplier. I used this to price two pieces that I showed in my 1st time attending a DFABC meeting. This was not received well! But, I was humble enough to allow the seasoned art collectors, curators, appraisers to school me on how to 1st build up to said prices. I had to develop an eye for good art by going to museums. I had to display my work in art shows to get my name out there, building up exposure and demand. And I’ve created and shown work frequently! It’s helped immensely and has allowed me to network and become part of this Metro-Detroit art community that I didn’t even know existed!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Even when I was really young I always signed my work. Eventually, I grew to try using a nickname when doing so. I’ve learned through the DFABC that signing my work with my real name is not only important, but yields an amazing feeling when finishing a piece. I love the look of my name on a finished piece as it looks like it’s part of the artwork. And it’s really cool to see viewers learning about me through my work!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artbychasedearring.com
- Instagram: artbychasedearring
- Facebook: ArtBy Chase Dearring
- Linkedin: Chase Dearring
- Other: TikTok: artbychasedearring
